Strung around the eastern shores of sprawling Lake Geneva, the Swiss Riviera’s glitzy lakeside towns were first thrust on to the Grand Tour route two hundred years ago, feted in prose and poetry by the likes of Lord Byron, Leo Tolstoy, and Hans Christian Andersen.
From rock stars to writers, they have lured the creatives, the rich and the famous ever since.
I had made my way to this oasis of lake and alpine beauty on a Globus escorted tour, along with 20 other eager travellers from the United States, Canada and Singapore.
Our foray with the Swiss Riviera began on the shores of the lake at Chateau de Chillon. This enchanting castle looks like it’s been lifted from the pages of a fairy-tale. Chillon Castle is a romantic medieval broach that combines your best expectations with the era’s gritty reality.
It’s a beautiful place with a brooding heart and lively tales to tell. Most of the castle dates from the 13th century, but its oldest section is thought to be 1000 years old. Built by Peter II, of Savoy, Chillon is considered one of the best preserved medieval castles of Europe.
Chillon proudly displays its military arsenal from the Middle Ages, including the crossbow famously synonymous with Swiss freedom fighter William Tell. So-called sorcerers were tried and tortured here. The most famous prisoner, Francois Bonivard, was famously immortalised in Lord Byron’s poem, The Prisoner of Chillon. After holidaying on Lake Geneva in 1816 and visiting the castle, he penned the poem, which became a rallying cry for freedom across Europe.
Bonivard was the prior of St Victori in Geneva, and when he supported Geneva’s independence in 1532, the vengeful Catholic Duke of Savoy chained him in the prison until 1536, when he was released by the Bernese. The underground prison is the biggest highlight. Our absorbing guide remarked that when wealthy Victorians were doing their Grand Tour, inspired by Lord Byron and other romantic writers, they would tour the prison at Chillon, which was still full of inmates.
The pillars in the prison are scrawled with graffiti and the autographs of delinquent residents over the centuries. Mark Twain noted in A Tramp Abroad, "Bonivard’s dungeon was a nice, cool, roomy place, and I cannot see why he should have been so dissatisfied with it."
The prison has pretty Romanesque arches and openings on to glittering lake water. Wordsworth, Dickens and Goethe have all traipsed through here.
Montreux has long been a playground for poets, playwrights and pop-stars. Often described as the Pearl of the Swiss Riviera, this gilded lakeside resort town oozes X-factor.
In the 1980s, the front-man for celebrated rock band Queen, Freddie Mercury, relocated from London to Montreux to escape the jaws of starry-eyed fans. The locals loved having the superstar as an honorary resident, and he remained living here to the day he died in 1991.
Shortly after he lost his battle with Aids, town officials funded a magnificent bronze statue of Mercury striking a trademark performance pose, which takes pride of place in Place du Marche. It was heavily cloaked with tributes, candles and love notes on my recent visit — like an enduring shrine. I spoke to numerous locals who are deeply disappointed that the recent movie release on Freddie Mercury, Bohemian Rhapsody, failed to recognise the role Montreux played in his latter years.
A headline Montreux attraction with music fans is "Queen: The Studio Experience". This can be found at the former Mountain Studios, where Queen recorded at various times between the late 1970s and 1990s. Bass guitarist Brian May opened the museum in 2013, and it is packed with memorabilia related to the British rock band.
Another sightseeing essential is the Montreux casino. In 1971, during a concert by Frank Zappa, a rocket-flare was fired into the ceiling of the casino, and the entire building was engulfed by flames. (Hence why the casino today looks so modern!) As clouds of smoke towered above the waters of the lake, Deep Purple lead singer Ian Gillan, who was watching the spectacle from his hotel room, was inspired by the dramatic sight, and Smoke on the Water was the result.
Just north of Montreux, our group stayed in the neighbouring town of Vevey, which is the home of Nestle chocolate. With an evocative old town, Vevey is a charmer to explore on foot, following in the footsteps of Charlie Chaplin, Graham Greene, Victor Hugo and Ernest Hemingway, who were enchanted by Vevey.
For a slice of local life, head to Cafe Restaurant de la Clef. Enjoy some libations as you drink in the views of the pillared marketplace out front.
The life-size statue erected in his honour represents the little tramp in baggy pants — the character Chaplin made famous — gazing out at his favourite view of Lake Geneva and the snow-clad Alps.
Another highlight is the Lavaux Vineyards. Boarding a local Riviera train with a local guide, we were vino-bound. At 800 hectares, the terraced vineyards of this Unesco-protected landscape forms Switzerland’s second largest wine region (Valais is the largest), with terrace after terrace offering celestial views. The vines were first planted in Lavaux in the 11th century when Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries controlled the area.
Clinging to the steep slopes, rising up from the lake as high as 500m, the exquisitely scenic terraced vineyards, benefits from the sun and its warming rays three times over: from the rays coming straight from the sun, the ones bouncing off Lake Geneva and those from the radiated heat of ancient stone walls. We gave ourselves a solid work-out climbing through these vine-wreathed terraces from St Saphorin, where the views kept us chorusing a collective round of ooohs and aaahs. These lush green vineyards plunging all the way into Lake Geneva create a mesmerising amalgamation of green and blue hues.
Chasselas is most often served as an aperitif or paired with the excellent local artisan cheeses or lake fish, such as perch. This white wine variety goes well with cheese fondue. The best examples can be complex and rich, showing a range of fruity, floral and mineral flavours, with good acidity. Older wines show more honeyed and nutty flavours, taking on a deep golden colour.
Be sure to enjoy a generous sample of the local wines, as Switzerland exports less than 5% of its production — if you don’t taste it here, you may not get another chance. Our group headed to the fabulous Lavaux Vinorama, for a great tasting from more than 300 local wines on offer.
Fun fact: Swiss believe that you have to look the person in the eye when you clink glasses! Otherwise, you will have bad sex for seven long years!
